Hose bridge and tower



(No Modeln I l 3 miem-#sheet 1. J. BLAKE 8L E. BEGIEBING.

HOSE BRIDGE AND TOWER.

110.531,091. .l Patented Deo. 18, 18.94'. r 77 Arron/Veys.

'mi norms versus ca, moroumd. wummau, l.:4 c.l

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. BLAKE 8: E.'F..BEGIEBING. -HosE BRIDGE AND TOWER.

No. 531,091. Patented Deo. 18.1894..

A TTOHNEYS.

v(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. BLAKE 8v E. F. BEGIEBING. HOSE BRIDGE AND TOWER.

Arron/VHS.'

UNITED l STATES PATENT y OFFICE.

JAMES BLAKE AND EML BEGIEBlNG, OF UNION HILL, NEW JERSEY.

HOSE BgRlocElANDJ-OWER.

srnci'rIcA'rIoN forming part ef Letters Patent No. 531,091, dated Deeember 18, 1894.

appresso.. inea Mey 19, 1894.

`may be collapsed and folded into a comparatively small compass or extended and raised to the necessary distance, which is provided with a hose bridge adapted to carry lines of hose over a track or other obstruction, which has the bridge portion extensible to enable it to carry the hose toa comparatively great length, which is provided with means for discharging waterwithout the use of the hose from the bridge, thus enabling it to be used asl a tire tower, which has a revoluble nozzle'open ated from the truck and arranged so as to dis-l charge water in any desired direction,which is provided with a convenient and simple arrangement of braces, which has all its parts arranged so as to be lon gitudinally extensible,

line 1-1 of Fig. 4, and with the tower and.

hose bridge in a partially extended position. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on the lines 2-e2 of Figs. 1 and 4. Fig. 3 is a broken side elevation of the. apparatus in a folded position. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section of the tower and bridge. line 5--5 of Fig.4; and Fig. 6 is a detail perspective viewof one of the ladders used in connection with the apparatus.

The apparatus is mounted on a truck 1Q Vat the foot of the tower.

Fig. 5/is a sectional plan on the' Serial No; 511,832. (No model.)

ywhich may be of any suitable construction :and the truck carries a bed plate 11 on which kis mounted a circular track 12, which is anjgular in cross section, as shown in Fig. 4, the track serving to support the rollers 13 on which is mounted the turn table 14 which carres'the entire superstructure of the tower and turns inacasing 15 which is open at the top and 'which is secured to the bed platell. The table has centrallyron its under side a gear wheel 16, which is formed integral with the table and is driven by a horizontally rotating gear Wheel 17, the latter being driven by a pinion 'l8von a shaft-19 which is held in suitable supports and is provided at one end with a crank 20, see Figs. 1 and 3, arranged Within easyreach of the drivers seat, and it will be seen that byturning the crank 2O the connecting gearing turns the table 14 and thus be turned to the desired postion.

Thetable 14 supports hangers 2l in which are journaled the trunnions 22 of the lower orbasesection 23 of the tower, this section lhaving an enlarged casing 23il at its lower end which serves as a housing for the gear wheel The trunnions 22 are provided with toothed segmental racks 24 which engage worms 25 on the shafts 26,

which are mounted in suitable supports and `have gearwheels27 engaging a driving gear 28 which-is provided witha crank handle 29, v

this handle being also arranged near the drivers seat onv the truck 10, as shown in Fig.

V :3, and byturning this crank it will be seen that .the worms 25 are revolved and the seg- ;mental racks 24 actu ated, and in this way the section 23 of the tower, together with the sections carried by it, may be raisedV to a vertical position or turned down into ahorizontal position, as 'shown in Fig. 3.

The lower orbase section ofthe tower, which tower is made up of a series of telescoping sections, has' on opposite sides and lin vertical rows anti-friction rollers 30 which serve Vas bearings for the second section 3l of the tower and enables this to be moved easilyup and down within the section23. The second section ofthe tower supports the third section 32 Vwhich is made up essentially of opposite plates 33 connected together in a suitable manner at the top and bottom, and this sec- ,enables the whole apparatus on the table to tion is operated as hereinafter described. It will be understood that the tower may be made of more than three telescoping sections, if desired, or with a less number of sections without affecting the principle of the invention.

The second section 31 is moved by a screw 34 which is threaded to tit a hole in the thickened bottom 35 of the section 31, and the screw is stepped in a suitable support 34 and has a driving gear 36 at its lower end which is driven by a pinion 37 and crank 38, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and thus by turning the crank, the section 31 may be raised or lowered. The screw has a pointed upper end 39 to enable it to readily enter the section 32 of the tower, and to engage the racks 39L on the said section 32 of the tower, and the screw thus serves to raise both sections 31 and 32; the section 32 being raised until it leaves the screw and the section 31 being raised to the screw top.

In lowering, the section 31 moves down until the screw engages section 33, then both move down together until the part 35 of section 31 passes oit the thread at the lower end of the screw, and the continued rotation of the screw does not further aect section 31, but moves down section 33. 1n raising, the tower section 33 moves first and lifts section 3l into engagement with the screw.

The upper section 32 of the tower is held from turning by lugs 41 in the section 31 between which the section 32 slides. The section 32 is held extended by the levers 42 which are curved to fit snugly against the sides of the section 31, see Figs. 1 and 2, and these levers have arms 43 attached, which arms project through slots 44 and 45 in the sections 31 and 32 and thus hold the section 32 in a raised position.

The levers 42 are pivoted together, as shown at 46, see Fig. 2, and have outwardly-extending ends which enable the levers to be operated like a pair of shears and these ends are connected by a screw 47 which has a hand wheel 48 at the end by turning which the levers may be moved so as to force the arms 43 in or out as desired. The levers 42 have preferably a removable pivot pin 46 which is provided with a chain 49 to prevent it from being lost.

In raising the tower the arms 43 are placed in engagement with the section 32 before the rack leaves the screw and then the lifting ot' g `may be laid over the bridge so as to be ex- Itended above the track and permit cars to `pass beneath, but the apparatus serves also the section 31 carries up the section 32 also. In lowering the tower the pins or arms 43 are not released from section 33 until rack 39a enga-ges the screw 34 and so there is no sudden drop.

The several sections of the tower have hooks 50 at their upper ends which are adapted to engage and support ladders 51, a

series of which are carried on the truck to be used in connection with the tower. The ladder 51 has broad feet 52 to enable it to stand well, and at the top it is bent or curved slightly, as shown at 53, and terminates in a slotted plate 54 adapted to engage one of the hooks 50 and thus, by using a series of ladders, the tower may be easily climbed or the ladders may be extended from the tower to an adjacent building to enable firemen to enter the latter or to enable inmates of the building to escape.

At the upper end of the top section 32 are brackets 55 and 56, which support the bridge proper, the brackets 55 having the main portions 58 of the bridge fulcrumed to them and these portions of the bridge are of a trougl1- like structure, being concave on top and they are removably attached to the brackets 56, being connected by a pin 59 which is provided with a chain to prevent it from being lost.

By removing the pin 59 the bridge may be swung on its fulcrum 57 so as to lie substantially parallel with the body of the tower, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

Two sections 60 of the bridge may be pulled out, as illustrated in Fig. 1, so as to make the bridge of any necessary length.

To prevent the bridge sections 60 from turning, their inner edges are doubled over, as shown at 6l, so as to slide on the edges of the sections 58, as shown clearly in Fig. 4.

The bridge is provided on opposite sides with hand rails 62 which serve as guards to prevent people from falling off. The bridge is held rigidly in its horizontal position, when arranged for use, by braces 63 which are pivoted to ribs 64 on the under side of the bridge and which are hinged, as shown at 65 in Fig. 1, to enable the apparatus to be collapsed and folded. The braces are longitudinally extensible to provide for the varying height of the tower, and each brace has at its lower end a clamping block 66 which is held on the longitudinally slotted base section 67 of the brace, this section being provided at the foot of the tower, as shown at 68, and the clamping block is provided with a bolt 69 0n which is a hand wheel 70 and thus, by manipulating the wheel, the block may be clamped Iirmly to the slotted section or loosened, and in this way the brace may be longitudinally adjusted. The slotted sections 67 are connected with the lower section 23 of the tower by bolts 7l and a turn buckle 72, which may be adjusted so gas to hold the slotted sections at the desired angle and give them the necessary strength.

It will be seen that a line or lines of hose as a water tower and is provided with pipes 73 which extend longitudinally through the .tower sections and have nipples 73a at their lower ends to which hose may be attached. `The pipes 73 telescope so as not to interfere with the movement of the tower sections,but

this feature is not illustrated in detail, as there is nothing novel about telescoping pipes.

ICO

IIC

y hose bridge, a water tower and a tire escape. Having thus described our invention, we'

The pipes 73 connect at the topwith a cross pipe or T `74., which is provided with a nipple 74a, so that if desired a hose may be attached to it, and it connects by a pipe 75 with a head 76 like an ordinary universal joint which permits it to turn freely, the head having a bent nozzle 77 whichis adapted to discharge water upon the ire and to which aline of hose may be connected if desired. The .head 76 is mounted on a shaft 78 which turns in suitable bearings andhas, at its lower end, abeveled pinion 79 which meshes with a pinion 8O on a shaft 81 which is longitudinally extensif ble, as shown in Fig. l, and is hungonthe under side of the bridge, the shaft having at its inner end a'pinion 83 adapted to mesh with a pinion 84 on the longitudinally adjustable shaft comprising the sections 85, 86 and 87 which turn in bearings 88 and are parallel with the tower sections 23, 31 and 32,

- the extensible shaft having at its lowerend a hand wheel 89 by which it may be turned, and thus by turning this wheel the extensible shaft, thev shaft 8l, and the upright shaft 78 are'turned so that the nozzle 77 maybe pointed in any desired direction so as to discharge the water effectively.

It will be seen that when vthe tower is collapsed and laid in a horizontal position, the pin 59 may be removed, the bridge collapsed and folded above the tower, and the shafts separated, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, the whole affair being red uced to a compact shape. It will also be seen that by properly manipulating the several cranks, the tower may be quickly raised and turnedto a desired position, while the ladders 5l may be easily adj usted, and the apparatus thus serves as a claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patenty 1. The combination with the tower sections, the bottom of the second section having a threaded aperture and the section thereabove'having'A internal racks, of a vertical screw extending up through the lower section and said threaded aperture into engagement with said internal racks and an foperating mechanism gearedto the lower end of the-5o screw.

2. The tower apparatus comprising the truck, the turn table mounted thereon and provided with an operating mechanism, standards on the turn table, a casing 23a having trunnions journaled on the standards and provided with an operating mechanism, a step 34., the extensible tower, the lower section 23 of'which is mounted in the said casinga screw 34 mounted in said step and having an operating gearing, the second section 31 having a threaded aperture in its bottom through which said screw passes and the third section 32 having internal racks engaged by the upper end of the screw.

3. The combination, of the water tower, the hose bridge thereon, the movable nozzle on the hose bridge, water supply pipes carried by the tower and connected with the nozzle, and a shaft and gear mechanism for moving the nozzle from the foot of the tower, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the tower, of the opposite brackets on the tower top,.and the hose bridge hinged to one bracket and detachably connected with the other, substantially as described.

5. The combination, of the extensible tower, the folding hosev bridge, the jointed braces, means for extending the braces longitudinally, and an adjustable connection between Witnesses EMILE DOERMER, EDWARD KRAUSE. 

